US President Trump said on the 24th on social media that regarding artificial intelligence, "I want to leave it as it is," once again showing his opposition to tightening regulation of AI. Trump pointed out that "China's position is the same." He also stressed that it is "an important day with Chinese President Xi Jinping," indicating his expectation that AI will be a major topic at the US-China summit.
Meta Bets Future on Muse AI Agent as It Tops App Stores
Meta is banking its future on its new Muse AI agent, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled as the centerpiece of the company's vision at the Meta Connect conference on Wednesday. The agent has quickly jumped to the top of both Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, and according to Zuckerberg, millions of people are already using it. Chief AI officer Alexandr Wang demonstrated use cases ranging from scheduling meetings to negotiating better cable rates and making purchases across multiple services, and Meta is also bringing Muse to its next-generation Meta VR Glasses and to the Muse Charm, a handheld device that lets users interact with the agent without a smartphone or smart glasses. Meta said it will make money from Muse by taking a small cut on transactions made via the agent, and Zuckerberg said he expects Muse to grow into the personal super intelligence that billions of people around the world will use. The company dedicated part of the keynote to privacy, citing the Muse Secure VM and a forthcoming Muse Confidential VM, though it may take time to earn trust after its $5 billion settlement over the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal in 2019.
JPMorgan Says Meta's Muse Could Be Biggest Consumer AI App Since ChatGPT
JPMorgan analysts say Meta Platforms' new Muse AI agent could become the most widely used consumer artificial intelligence app since OpenAI's ChatGPT, after the app hit No. 1 on Apple's U.S. App Store following its Sept. 8 launch. Analyst Doug Anmuth credited Muse's user-friendly interface, generous free tier and Meta's distribution across social platforms serving billions of users daily, and the bank reiterated its Overweight rating on Meta with a price target of $820. Muse reached about 2.5 million U.S. downloads through Sept. 19 with roughly 557,000 daily active users, according to Sensor Tower data cited by Bank of America, and on iOS alone its first 12 days produced 1.43 million downloads, edging out ChatGPT's 1.37 million over the same post-launch window. BofA Global Research said early reviews show the agent's ability to execute multi-step tasks and workflows with limited user intervention is resonating, but cautioned that revenue from ads, subscriptions or commissions within Muse is unlikely to become material before 2028. Muse's basic version is free, with subscription tiers priced at $20 and $100 a month for heavier use, and Meta shares have climbed nearly 20% since the launch.
Meta's Muse AI App Tops 3.4M Downloads in US and Canada Since Launch
Meta's Muse AI app has gained more than 3.4M downloads in the U.S. and Canada since its launch on Sept. 8, according to Sensor Tower data, as personalized AI apps gain traction with consumers. Sensor Tower estimates Muse had 2.8M downloads globally in its first two weeks, compared with 3.7M for ChatGPT, 400,000 for Grok and 300,000 for Claude during their respective first two weeks. Muse reached No. 1 on the U.S. Apple App Store on Sept. 18 and also topped the U.S. Google Play Store the following day, and it remained No. 1 on both stores as of Thursday. Sensor Tower said Meta's ability to promote Muse across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp may have helped drive its early growth, and that Muse accounted for the largest share of Meta's in-house advertising impressions within 10 days of its launch, ahead of those platforms. Elon Musk's Grok Bot has also continued to grow despite Muse's launch, recording 2.2M global downloads since its August launch and averaging about 300,000 daily active users as of Sept. 22, with daily active users up 43% in the week ended Sept. 21 and downloads and daily active users up 134% and 164%, respectively, in the two weeks through Sept. 21 from the previous two-week period. Sensor Tower said Grok Bot has generated more than $1M in subscription revenue, suggesting some users are willing to pay for AI services that offer more personalized features.
